Teller machines for the infeed and outfeed of banknotes, either singly or in bundles, are known to the art. These machines may be equipped with detector devices of mutually different kinds and designs, e.g. for checking the quality, denomination and validity of the banknotes.
Also known to the art are teller machines which are adapted to bundle and package banknotes, to destroy valuable paper under controlled forms, and also to recover the waste generated by such destruction in a secure manner.
In view of the enormous quantity of banknotes that are in circulation despite the use of cheques, bills of exchange and other money substitutes, it is extremely important that dirty, wrinkled and more or less significantly torn banknotes are taken out of general circulation and replaced with newly printed banknotes. It is equally as important that any forged banknotes detected are removed at an early stage for investigation of possibly active gangs of forgerers. It is in itself evident that this clearing work must take place with the uttermost correctness under secure forms and controls. In Sweden, it the National Bank that is responsible for ensuring that this takes place.
The withdrawal and destruction of used, forged banknotes shall thus take place under the care and control of the National Bank. This means both comprehensive and expensive handling of these banknotes before they finally reach the National Bank for “final storage”.
The expensive handling of banknotes involved has been indicated several times in the preceding paragraphs. One object of the present invention is to organise decentralised destruction of principally used banknotes while under the supervision by the National Bank in secure and economically favourable forms. The invention also affords a significant time gain, in that destruction of the banknotes takes place at an earlier stage than was hitherto the case (closer the centres of pulsating business life) while necessary checking (counting) of banknotes are fewer and the transportation of banknotes also fewer and shorter.